


The End of Greed

by Kettugasm



Category: The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-06
Updated: 2012-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 22:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/398792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kettugasm/pseuds/Kettugasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And so... the last Truffula tree fell with a mighty THWACK...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End of Greed

**Author's Note:**

> 8’c …. *sniffle* … I should not play Valley Exodus from the soundtrack while writing fics… I guess you could call this even more a/u because I kind of… reworked the ending of the movie for the sake of this fic

**_THWACK_**  
  
And that was it. The last Truffula tree. Down it went, hitting the barren wasteland's ground, a sure foreshadowing of the empire that would soon crumble in its wake. The Greed-ler had watched it happen, gazed on with wide eyes as the last colorful tuft was dirtied by the smogged soil.  
  
The thud it made hit him in the heart, momentarily taking his breath away. There was a dead quiet, then, an expression of disappointment looking up at him.  
  
But... not at him. Not anymore.  
  
He suddenly felt transparent, as though he were reading a book of the events unfolding. Which made sense, because he was no longer standing there. It wasn't him who the Lorax was looking up at, not anymore. He couldn't understand why, but he felt so meak, so small.  
  
The Greed-ler gave a gasp for air, one hand clutching at his chest, which suddenly had begun to burn. He coughed, sputtered, watching from a distance as the imposter was shown the error of his ways. He watched as he collapsed to his knees in the dust all the creatures leaving, the little orange thing lift himself up by the seat of his pants before vanishing up into the sky.  
  
He also watched the skinny little nobody standing in his place slowly turn around, looking down at him after what seemed like years of just... staring out at the destruction.  
  
"Greedie, I..."  
  
The Once-ler, adorned in that green suit, just as his other half was, stared down at the crippled manifestation with a look of pity, one hand reaching out for him.  
  
"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" he roared up at him, his entire body starting to spasm. He knew what was happening, there was no other explanation. Being shown all the terrible things that had happened, it severed the bond between them. No longer did the Greed-ler have any power, any pull in this world.  
  
All of that bitterness, hatred, the greed in the back of the Once-ler's mind had been let go. And without those emotions, there would be no manifesation of them. There would be no Greed-ler. His claws dug into the ruined earth now as he began to pant, becoming less real in this world, starting to fade away. Even with the crimes he had committed, how he had destroyed so many lives and trees, there was something so sad about this creature on the ground.  
  
He was just a spirit of greed, born from the mind of a naiive man who wanted nothing more than to make his mark on the world. He never asked to exist, but found the world he was brought into quiet comfortably. But it wasn't fair. Negativity was all that he was, not a single ounce of kindness or love had ever gone into his creation.  
  
Yet somehow, he had learned how to feel such things, even it he barely could express it.  
  
The Greed-ler gave a strangled sob of a noise, his entire form becoming ethereal, no longer attached to this world, no longer belonging. Slowly, he lifted his head, those piercing green eyes of his the only thing still bright in this godforsaken land. He was trembling now, one green claw extended out as he tried to crawl towards his original. It was now that he did something he had never done before in his entire existence.  
  
He had begun to cry.  
  
He barely managed to call out the other's name before he was gone, vanishing like morning dew in the afternoon. One second he was there, the next, he had gone.  
  
And that was that.  
  
The factories closed down, Thneedville was taken over by another, everyone went on with their lives. Thneeds were a thing of the past, the entire company went under. Years flew by quicker than anyone cared to admit and all that remained was a bitter old man who lived in a too-crooked house. He had spent his life in that house, contemplating what had gone so wrong, getting older, staying alone,  hoarding the very last Truffula seed.  
  
A child had been given the seed, to make good on the word left by the Lorax, that fateful "Unless" etched in stone. The seed was planted, trees were grown, everything was starting to get better. But nothing would ever be the same as it had been, not for a long, long time.  
  
He attended the tiny saplings, just like he had done every morning since they had sprouted, forcing himself to remember how to smile. But this day was special. There was a light, too mystical to be the sun, that touched down a few inches from one of the small trees. A figured stepped out of that light, looking the same as the day he had vanished, yet... somehow different.  
  
"Hey there, Oncie."  
  
For starters, there was a smile on his face, and not one of malice or cruel intent. It was a genuine grin. He looked just like the fresh-faced lad The Once-ler himself had been, all those many years ago. The only thing that made him unique were those same, piercing eyes. No longer did he wear that suit, that symbol of avarice he once was, but the same old vest-shirt combo. He gave a little chuckle, those teeth of his still sharp fangs, yet he looked about as dangerous as a Barbaloot.  
  
He tipped his hat, a similar one, but there was the faintest orange tuft accentuating it.  
  
"The little guy upstairs said "You done good, beanpole," and I thought I'd deliver the message."  
  
He smiled.  
  
And so did The Once-ler.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by: http://askgreedlerandoncie.tumblr.com/


End file.
